title: Income and child mortality in developing countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to quantify the relationship between national income and infant and under-five mortality in developing countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a systematic literature search of studies that examined the relationship between income and child mortality (infant and/or under-five mortality) and meta-analysed their results.
  
  
  METHODS
  Developing countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  Child mortality (infant and /or under-five mortality).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The systematic literature search identified 24 studies, which produced 38 estimates that examined the impact of income on the mortality rates. Using meta-analysis, we produced pooled estimates of the relationship between income and mortality. The pooled estimate of the relationship between income and infant mortality before adjusting for covariates is -0.95 (95% CI -1.34 to -0.57) and that for under-five mortality is -0.45 (95% CI -0.79 to -0.11). After adjusting for covariates, pooled estimate of the relationship between income and infant mortality is -0.33 (-0.39 to -0.26) while the estimate for under-five mortality is -0.28 (-0.37 to -0.19). If a country has an infant mortality of 50 per 1000 live births and the gross domestic product per capita purchasing power parity increases by 10%, the infant mortality will decrease to 45 per 1000 live births.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Income is an important determinant of child survival and this work provides a pooled estimate for the relationship.
authors.affiliation: St. Andrews University, Scotland, UK and College of Medicine, University of Malawi, Malawi, Central Africa.
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: O'Hare
authors.forename: Innocent
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Makuta
authors.forename: Levison
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiwaula
authors.forename: Naor
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bar-Zeev
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D046688:Child Mortality; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003906:Developing Countries; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality
keywords: Sub Saharan Africa; child mortality; income mortality elasticity; meta-analysis; systematic review